Dokubo-Asari
A Former Niger Delta militant, Mujahid Asari-Dokubo, was on Tuesday arrested in Cotonou, capital of Benin Republic.
It was learnt that the ex-militant was arrested at about 1.00pm by the Benin Republic’s police.
A statement by his lawyer, Festus Keyamo
confirmed the arrest, saying Asari-Dokubo was picked up around the
Lubeleyi roundabout and taken to “an unknown destination.”
Keyamo, in the statement on Tuesday,
argued that Asari-Dokubo was not arrested for running any illegitimate
business in the country.
The lawyer noted that the ex-militant
had been residing partly in Benin Republic for many years, adding that
Asari-Dokubo owns property in Cotonou.
It was gathered that the ex-militant
reportedly opened a private university – King Amachree African
University, in Benin Republic.
The university is preparing to start degree-awarding programmes in 2014.
The statement reads in part, “Today,
Tuesday, November 26, 2013, my friend and client, Alhaji Mujahid
Dokubo-Asari, was arrested in Cotonou, Benin Republic, around the hours
of 1pm and 2pm by the country’s gendarmes (police).
“He was picked up around the Lubeleyi
roundabout and taken to an unknown destination. In fact, he owns houses,
schools and an academy in that country. All these places have been
searched as of this evening and nothing incriminating was found.”
Keyamo expressed the conviction that
“Dokubo’s arrest and detention are a ploy by certain forces in Nigeria
in an unholy alliance with the Beninoise government to keep him away as
2015 approaches.
“We call on the Nigerian government to
immediately intervene and ensure that no harm befalls Alhaji
Dokubo-Asari and to use all diplomatic means to secure his immediate
release and safe return to Nigeria.”
PUNCH
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